Saquon Barkley picks up where he left off in NFL debut

Mike Shula, the New York Giants' offensive coordinator, said this week that he wanted Saquon Barkley to "pick up where he left off" at Penn State. The rookie running back responded Thursday night, offering fresh hope for the Giants' run game.

Barkley took his first NFL carry 39 yards, refreshing the bounce-and-go moves he showcased for three years in college. And if they didn't love him already, the Giants fans attending the preseason opener against Cleveland swooned quickly and deeply.

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A half-full MetLife Stadium certainly carried a lazy August haze, which didn't improve through David Njoku's two first-half receiving touchdowns (one from No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield) for the Browns. But the place came alive for Barkley's opening run, and for every time he touched the ball thereafter.

Barkley played parts of the first two series, carrying five times for 43 yards. His 39-yard gain (which would have been the third-longest for the Giants in 2017) was reminiscent of the more-memorable plays of his Penn State career.

Barkley sidestepped a closed hole at the line of scrimmage, briefly bounced inside, then cut his run back through a reopened gap. Following those hop steps, Barkley accelerated through the hole, glanced back outside and ran by a Cleveland defensive back.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley discusses the differences between an NFL training camp and Penn State’s preseason camp.

Earlier this week, Barkley said that he was "more than capable" of playing in the preseason opener, even though head coach Pat Shurmur hesitated to designate Barkley's snap count. The running back didn't get a heavy workload, playing fewer than 10 snaps, and didn't run for more than three yards on another carry.

Still, Barkley was the liveliest player on the Giants' otherwise dull offense. The rookie looked sharper than veteran back Jonathan Stewart, who missed a blitz pickup that led to a 10-yard sack of quarterback Eli Manning. Barkley also looked much quicker on the same toss sweep run by both backs.

The next step for Barkley is a better look in the pass game and in pass protection. The Giants expect Barkley to be a significant component of their pass game, and Shurmur said that the back has grown more confident in his blitz-pickup role.

"The thing that sticks out the most with him is his ability to be a total back," Shula said this week. "With everything we've asked him to do, he just looks really, really good. And that's hard to find in a lot of backs. As we know, in college, he wasn't just good at all those things, he was really good at all those things. That is kind of what were looking for — for him to pick up where he left off."

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning talks about his relationship with Saquon Barkley and how the rooke running back has looked in camp.

As Penn State did, the Giants have moved Barkley across the offense in training camp, occasionally lining him at receiver in addition to their traditional I-formation. Barkley hadn't taken a snap from the I-formation since his freshman season at Penn State, which abandoned the fullback position the past two seasons.

Running behind a fullback Thursday, Barkley lost two yards, though even that play underscored his growth. Barkley had a penchant in college for overplaying carries, occasionally turning two-yard losses into bigger messes.

This time, he accepted the loss instead of trying to reverse field and scramble for something. Manning said that was something he discussed with Barkley during camp.

"We talked a little bit about, you can't try to score a touchdown every play," Manning said. "Sometimes, you have to take the three-yard gain and take what the defense is giving you. Understand the expectations are extremely high, don't worry about that. That's what you have a team for."